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Review of Laws of the Night
So there I was in a local book and game shop, racing against the clock to find cheap components for my Hallowe'en costume. (Lacking real inspiration, I went as a "Gaming Night Homicide," and used the magic of liquid latex to make it appear as though my face and throat had been impaled and embedded with bloody Magic cards, pencils, and dice. Guess you had to be there, eh?) While I searched the sections of the gaming isle that looked decidedly low-rent, my eyes fell upon a tiny booklet that seemed to have something to do with Mind's Eye Theatre. Readers of my previous reviews will note that my interest in LARP borders on the fetishistic, so of course I had to have it, and the price was unbeatable.
(A brief note, gentle readers. If you ever want to look like a total nebbish, consider walking up to the counter at a game shop and purchasing exactly four Magic cards, three cheap dice, and a free booklet. If you want to complete the circle of geeky mawkishness, get into an argument with the clerk over the connotation of the word "free." But I digress.)
JOURNEY INTO THE SECRET LIFE OF VAMPIRES
This book attempts to cover in thirty-two pages enough material to hook new players on Mind's Eye Theatre, make them at home with the World of Darkness, and let them feel as though they have received enough information on the rules to actually play. All the World of Darkness basics are covered, from the general history of the Kindred to the multilayered intrigues of the Jyhad to the copious heaps of supernatural powers that so inflame the passions of rules-lawyers worldwide. This basic information is well laid-out, and typos are few and far between, but it's also stripped of the atmospheric framework that graces the Vampire setting in its actual sourcebooks. The pseudo-Biblical legends surrounding the origins of the Kindred, for example, while intriguing when given room to breathe, are compressed here to something not unlike Cliff's Notes. Why couldn't some mystery have been preserved, both to make room for other material and entice new players into purchasing the actual sourcebooks?
STYLE
The booklet features a nice, striking cover with three attractive players (or actors posing as players- does White Wolf use actors for these photos, or do they just choose the most photogenic of their gaming associates?) making patented vampire faces at the reader. At least this makes the players of the game look intriguing and committed. The rest of the booklet is well laid-out, but hardly revolutionary. As mentioned, there are a few typos, none glaring.
SYSTEM
A full review of the revised Mind's Eye Theatre system will be included when I examine the sourcebook proper. For now- I have a few qualms. The basics are presented well enough, but some of the Disciplines seem a bit strange. Was it really necessary to let wielders of Intermediate Potence dish out Aggravated Damage? Why is every Discipline presented in Basic and Intermediate levels, save for Thaumaturgy, which is presented in Basic and Advanced? Furthermore, some of the Thaumaturgy powers aren't listed with the challenges and traits they require in order to take effect. Are they presumed to have an automatic effect? Come on, White Wolf- I just reviewed that game, and it was called Shades of Nightfall!
SUPPORT
A nice overview of the general game system and rules follows the sections on characters and traits. Bless their hearts, the authors even list safety rules first and foremost. A few bullet points in the back of the book offer "story ideas" that will be known by heart to anyone who's picked up a Vampire sourcebook at any time in the past nine years. Were these really necessary? Why not mention the grand schemes, revelries, and intrigues that can result when you get large groups of dedicated people together for one of these games?
WELL, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT FOR THIRTY-TWO PAGES?
Well, you can do a great deal with that much space, and this booklet just doesn't do it. In making room for a basic overview of just about everything in the Vampire setting, it leaves little mystery to hook and intrigue a hypothetical new player. Why couldn't some of these questions been left unanswered? Why were the non-Camarilla clans mentioned at all? Why not leave the origin story of vampires a bit more obscure? That would have given a few more pages in which to discuss atmosphere and character- two things that White Wolf claims to be dedicated to above all else. This book could have left a dozen questions hanging for its audience, giving them good reason to pick up a full-size Laws of the Night. It would have been a good marketing ploy, and as the recent "web site sale" stunt reveals, those have been in short supply of late for our friends in Georgia!
Ultimately, this book will serve better as an itty-bitty curiosity on the shelf of LARP afficionados than as a genuine introduction to the fun and majesty of Mind's Eye Theatre. It's cute, and hardly a disaster, but it could have been so much more. However, let us count our blessings- at least there wasn't any introductory fiction.
Mind's Eye Theatre is a brilliant stage for some of the best experiences that roleplaying has to offer. If you want to do your new players a favor, dote on them with personal attention and let them peruse the full-length Laws of the Night. Don't let them draw solely from this "introductory kit." Keep it for your own collection, and look at the pretty pictures.
Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 2 (Sparse)
